Want You Back
by NoEarlyBird
Summary: Kai screwed up. He screwed up royally. He's spent hours and hours of overtime at the office, and hardly any time at home any more. He didn't realize, until Ray walked out the door. What Kai does he realize is: he's wants Ray back. Now. (KaRe Oneshot)


Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Beyblade and I don't make money with this.

 **A/N:** Hi everyone,

I've been gone for so long I almsot feel like I should introduce myself again! ^^' Sorry to all who are waiting for an update - I have moved and I'm almost done settling in, so it won't be much longer.

Now, with this story here I'm kind of broadening my horizon: my first Kai/Ray! :3 I think they are a more "adult" couple, which is why I gave them a more "grown up" problem. Enjoy :)

* * *

 **Want You Back**

* * *

Kai glanced at his watch as he exited the elevator. 10.34 pm. If that wasn't an early home time…! A whole 21 minutes earlier than yesterday. He sighed. It was a busy time of year and he was simply swamped at work, especially now that Voltaire had fallen ill and was unable to lead the company any longer.

Kai unlocked the front door to his apartment and stepped inside.

The door fell shut behind him and before he could stop it a "I'm home!" had slipped out.

Highly annoyed Kai kicked off his shoes and tossed his jacket over a chair by the door. As if anyone cared! As if anyone was even here who could have possibly cared!

His eyes cut to the kitchen. It was dark and empty. Kai ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment. In front of his inner eye appeared the image of a boy. The boy was standing in a brightly lit kitchen, working on various pots and pans at the same time. The boy then looked up at him, shook his long black bangs out of his cat-like golden eyes and gave him a big toothy smile. Ray.

Kai's eyes snapped open. He couldn't bear it any longer. The pain this memory caused was just too much. Every time he thought of Ray the silence of his apartment felt almost suffocating, the tidiness he used to like so much felt uncomfortable. Even though he'd carried on with his life like he used to before Ray, there was an emptiness in his life he could not describe. It had taken Kai a while to admit he missed Ray.

Kai moved into the kitchen and took a look in the fridge. He picked out a salad, conveniently chopped up already, and sat down at the kitchen island. As he ate his salad his thoughts still circled around Ray.

It was almost three weeks since Ray had moved out; three weeks since their break-up. They had been together for a little over two years. It had been a good two years, a good relationship. Kai smiled when he remembered the days when they were only beginning to realize the true nature of their feelings towards each other: the secret longing looks, the coincidental brushing of hands. Then it had been late night conversations and, hidden by the dark of night, first careful touches and shy kisses. They kept meeting late at night for some stolen hugs and kisses for weeks before finally admitting to their relationship and going public. It had been Ray who had one day burst out with his feelings. Of course it had been Ray. Ray had always been the one to openly address problems. Kai could never bring himself to talk about his feelings without incentive.

Just like three weeks ago, when Ray had once more addressed their problems and told him that he was moving out. He'd said that he couldn't take it anymore: Kai's long hours, the silence, the absent mindedness. That it was not what he wanted this relationship to be. And then, from one moment to another, he was gone, having packed his things while Kai was at work. And Kai was alone.

Kai threw the empty salad box away and dropped his fork into the dishwasher. Besides the fork he'd just put in, there were only a couple more forks and knives and a handful of coffee mugs in the dishwasher. Not much cooking was being done now that Ray had moved out.

He picked up the jacket he'd left in the hall and went to his bedroom to change into something comfortable. Not that his suit was extremely uncomfortable, but even the most comfortable of suits could not compete with a lose T‑Shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Before he put away his dress jacket Kai fumbled his phone out of his inside pocket. He wanted to check his emails one more time, before he'd turn on the TV to catch up on today's news. That was one of the things Ray had hated. He just wouldn't understand why Kai had to check his emails if he'd only just gotten home - and at that time of day, too. Of course he knew that Kai was now leading his grandfather's business all by himself, that he was in the middle of re-organizing the company, that he was about too close on some major business deals and that every additional day would cost him millions in interest. Ray was smart. He knew and understood these things - he just didn't want to. Because he hated that Kai's job took up most of his days. Because he hated that it left so little time for the two of them. And so he'd left.

Kai scanned through his inbox and found only one mail of real urgency, which he quickly responded to. He then tossed the phone on the bed and just let himself fall into the sheets. Before he could reach for the remote control to switch on his TV, Kai had already fallen asleep.

* * *

It wasn't a deep and dreamless sleep like Kai used to have. Ever since Ray had left he'd been dreaming about him every single night. Sometimes he dreamed about trips they'd taken, or special moments they'd shared. Sometimes he dreamed about things that hadn't happened and were merely wishful thinking.

Tonight was one of these nights. In his dream, Kai saw himself open the front door. It was late and he knew he was surprised and slightly annoyed over the fact that someone rang his doorbell in the dead of night. The door opened and he could feel his dream-self's heart skip a beat when he recognized the person standing in front of him: Ray.

At first glance Ray hadn't changed at all. At second glance, his hair was a bit longer and his face a lot paler than it used to be. They locked eyes. Ray then slightly raised his arm and Kai saw he was carrying a suitcase with him. He glanced back at Ray, saw the unspoken question in his eyes.

"Can I come back?"

He stepped aside, letting Ray back into his apartment, back into his life. Ray tossed his suitcase onto the chair by the door and threw his arms around Kai. Kai pulled him closer and smiled.

* * *

The smile was still on his lips when the low buzzing of his phone woke Kai from his dreams. He blinked a couple times until his vision cleared and squinted against the rays of sunshine that fell through the large window front of his bedroom. Usually the shades would be drawn. And usually the sun wouldn't be high in the sky like this when he got up.

Shit!

Kai jolted up and reached for his phone. 9.13 am, 23 missed calls and 57 new messages. Double shit!

He cleared his throat and answered the phone, "Hiwatari."

"Good morning Mr. Hiwatari! Oh I'm so glad that I finally got a hold of you," his assistant said.

Inwardly cursing – a Kai Hiwatari never overslept! - Kai put her on speaker while he rushed around the room to assemble fresh clothes. He told his assistant he'd had pressing personal matters to attend to is morning and requested for her to give him an update. Then he told her he'd be in the office in half an hour and asked her to buy him some time - of course he had to oversleep on the day of an important business meeting!

Kai took the quickest shower in the history of men, determinedly shoving aside the slipping fragments of last night's dream (this just had to wait until later) and forced himself to focus on today's business. Then he rushed out of the door with his shirt buttoned only halfway up, his tie hanging lose around his neck and his dress jacket under his arm. He'd fix that on his way.

* * *

The elevator door slid aside and Kai stepped out into the hallway. As he walked towards his front door he glanced at his watch: 10.57 pm. Well, regarding today's schedule that was an okay time to get home. He kicked the door shut behind him and found himself engulfed by the darkness and silence of his apartment. Kai couldn't help but remember last night's dream now. Again, it had been about Ray - about Ray coming back to him. Kai knew this was only wishful thinking. Ray would never come back just like that. He had made his decision and in his opinion, the ball was in Kai's court now. He wouldn't make the first move.

Kai threw his jacket on the kitchen island and loosened his tie. He walked around the island, opened his freezer and pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. He couldn't think about this without at least one shot of vodka in his system to help him make up his mind. Kai took the bottle, a glass and a sandwich from the fridge and sat down in the large grandfather's chair in the living room. There was a light next to it, but Kai didn't switch it on. The chair stood facing a large window front and offered a spectacular view of the city's skyline. Kai found that looking out at the city lights helped him get his thoughts in order. And any light on the inside only distracted.

He ate part of his sandwich and poured himself a glass. He then took a sip and felt the liquor warm him from the inside. Kai let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

His thoughts immediately circled back to his dream. He'd had similar ones the past couple of nights too. They all had one thing in common: Ray coming home. Kai thought one didn't have to be a genius to figure out what it was his subconscious was trying to tell him.

He wanted Ray back. He missed him!

Now, here was the problem: Kai wasn't great at expressing his feelings. More like, he really sucked at it. He also sucked at apologies, which didn't make this any easier.

Kai took another bite from his sandwich and washed it down with some vodka. Ray wouldn't come back on his own. If he wanted him back, he had to do something. Only he had no idea what. Usually Ray would have advised him in these things. Obviously he would have to make do without that here. He might have considered asking Tyson (teeth gnashing), but Tyson, like Max, had chosen Team Ray. And he'd rather shoot himself in the foot than ask Tala for advice on love affairs. Also he really couldn't see how Tala could offer anything useful, being that he was as emotionally crippled as Kai was. Absentmindedly Kai ran his finger across the edge of his glass and kept staring out of the window. He was on his own in this.

Hell, how hard could this be? He knew Ray better than anyone. And he knew himself better than anyone (with the possible exception of Ray). Surely he could figure out how to solve this mess? He emptied his glass and put it aside.

Well, logically thinking he first had to find out what caused Ray to leave, and in a second step think of a way to get rid of these problems.

The first step was easy since Ray had thrown this into his face before he'd left: simply put it was his job and his character. The second step was where it got tricky: he couldn't just quit is job - being that he owned the company - and he couldn't just change who he was either. Also, he was almost sure Ray wouldn't want that - after all, that was the person he had fallen in love with. It was more Kai's way of dealing with their problems Ray didn't like.

So basically Kai had to find a way to cut back on his hours and adopt a new way of addressing problems. Sounded easy enough. In his experience though, everything that sounded like it would be a piece of cake turned out to be fucking hell.

Kai sighed.

He'd draw up a new personal structure for the management in the morning. There had to be a way to direct some of his work elsewhere; somewhere, where it would be done correctly.

As for the way of addressing problems: maybe admitting he'd made mistakes and apologizing would do. It was worth a shot! If Ray booted him out he could still reconsider. So far, a sincere apology sounded like a good start.

Kai nodded to himself. He'd do that.

* * *

The next morning Kai got up at his usual time (6.00 o'clock). He quickly got ready and left for work. On the way he stopped at his favorite coffee house to get his daily doses of early morning caffeine and a bagel.

The second he got to his office Kai buried himself in work. He needed to get this done quickly today! He wanted to speak to Ray - the sooner, the better, right?

* * *

And really, at a quarter past eight Kai walked out the front door. He was quite content with today's work: he worked his way through the large pile of paperwork that had been growing on his desk, had successfully directed work elsewhere and drafted up a new structure for the management.

Kai got behind the wheel and pointed the car in the direction of the Granger Dojo. After moving out of his apartment Ray had moved back in with Tyson. Kai figured his first challenge today was getting past Tyson. Most likely that stubborn guy would be determined to keep him away from Ray. Kai was, in Tyson's eyes, the bad guy here who'd broken Ray's heart and therefore Ray had to be protected from him.

Kai did a mental eye-roll and pulled the car to a stop in front of the Granger's front gate.

Here he was. There was no going back. Well, technically there was - he'd just have to drive away. But Kai wasn't the type to drive away; once he set his mind to something he was sure to go through with it. And better today than tomorrow!

Kai took a deep breath and got out of the car. Slowly but determinedly he strode through the front gate. He stood for a second, taking in the familiar sight and smells - blooming flowers and green tea. It was late spring and the garden was in full bloom. Following an instinct, Kai walked around the house to where the garden was. He'd bet his anything Ray would be outside on a beautiful day like this.

And really, once he got around the corner he saw Ray's figure sitting by the pond. Kai slowly approached. Knowing Ray he had already noticed his presence.

He came to a stop next to Ray. For a moment no one say a word.

Then, without taking his eyes of the water, Ray asked, "What are you doing here, Kai?"

Kai glanced sideways.

"I want to talk," he said.

Finally Ray looked him in the eyes. The setting sun put an almost unearthly glow in Ray's golden eyes. Kai thought Ray must have spent a lot of time outside - his skin had adopted a nice bronze tone. He looked good. Good, but... unhappy. Kai's heart leaped in his chest. Maybe he still had a chance.

"I'm listening."

Not being able to focus on his words under Ray's intense glare, it was now Kai's turn to look away. He looked at the water.

"I've been dreaming a lot lately. I don't usually dream. Ever since you left, however, I dreamt every single night. And every dream was about you. It was memories first; like that time we went skiing and you did that involuntary pirouette before you landed on your butt."

A little smile appeared on Ray's face.

"I've never heard you laugh like that before."

"That's because I've never seen anything funnier before," Kai said. He cleared his throat and went on in a more serious tone, "After a week the dreams changed. They were still about you, about us, but not memories we shared. They were about you coming home. I'm not great with feelings, and I don't believe in sings, but I'm not an idiot. I know what these dreams are trying to tell me: I miss you Ray. I want you to come back. Please, Ray, come back to me."

Ray stayed silent for a couple heartbeats.

"Is that all?"

Kai shook his head a no and wordlessly pulled a piece of paper out of his inside pocket and handed it to Ray.

"A contract of employment?"

"I am hiring a second assistant to take handle my calls and correspondence after I leave the office."

"And at what time's that going to be? 10.00 o'clock at night?"

"Seven."

Ray raised a brow at him. It was a gesture he'd adopted from Kai over the past two years. Kai wasn't sure Ray knew he'd started arching his brow that way. He figured now was probably not the time to ask. No, now he had to convince Ray to give him a second chance.

"Ray listen, I know wasn't around much lately-..."

"You can say that again!"

"It was the worst possible moment for my grandfather to fall ill, but he did and that left the company in my hands at a very busy time. And it wasn't work I could easily put off either - we are about to close on some major business deals. If they go wrong it'll cause severe damage to the company. And I simply cannot let that happen - the company is my family's legacy! It is not going to fall apart on my watch! But I am trying, Ray! Sometime soon the deals will be closed and I can make some personnel rearrangements. I can't promise there won't be a time when I have to do over time, but I can promise that it will not be on a daily basis."

When Ray was about to respond Kai raised a hand and said, "No, please hear me out! I know my long hours weren't the only thing that bothered you. And while I can change my hours, I cannot change who I am. But I know how much my ... inability to show emotions bothers you, so I will give it a lot of effort to open up to you more. Also I'm… I'm sorry, Ray. Please... come home."

When he was finished he looked at Ray wearily. Ray looked back at him, his face blank and unreadable. Then he cracked a smile.

"What took you so long?"

Relief fluttered through Kai. This sounded like thins were going well for him, didn't it?

He smiled back.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"I'm guessing work, work and the fact that you're a bit slow on figuring out your own feelings. Oh, and work."

Kai stepped closer and tugged a strand of hair back behind Ray's ear.

"It was fairly obvious this time. Only I had to put it off. Fucking job."

"True, that," Ray said, leaning his cheek against Kai's hand.

Kai's heart fluttered in his chest. How he'd missed this feeling.

"So... are you coming back? It's gonna be another week or two until closing though, so..."

"That's fine," Ray interrupted. "It's just... I didn't want us to slowly drift apart and you weren't listening because it was only work, work, work and then... I didn't see another way to make you realize ... and so I left."

"Knowing I'd come after you eventually? That is sneaky, Kon!"

Ray smiled.

"It worked, didn't it? And don't think waiting was easy Kai. It freakin' broke my heart."

"I suppose this explains why Tyson isn't out here yet, yelling at me to leave you alone."

Ray chuckled.

"I'm flattered you were willing to fight your way past him to get me back."

"So... did it get you back?"

Ray wrapped his arms around his waist and said, "Take me home!"

And Kai pulled him closer and sealed his lips with a kiss. It was a gentle, almost shy kiss, very much like the first kiss they'd shared. And in a way it was a first kiss.

Then Ray dug his hand in Kai's hair the way he used to and the kiss went from innocent to hungry. Hungry for the other's touch that they'd been deprived of for too long.

"So I guess you made up, huh?"

Reluctantly Kai pulled away from Ray and glared at the intruder. It was Tyson – obviously! No one else would be this tactless! While Kai went over a thousand possible ways to inflict large amounts of pain on Tyson, Ray gave a smile and said, "I believe we did."

God, how he loved this boy!

Tyson sighed over-dramatically.

"Does this mean you will be stealing Ray away from us, Kai?"

Damn right he would!

Out loud Kai only said, "Hn."

"I'll come by tomorrow morning to pick up my stuff," Ray said to Tyson.

He nodded and, with a sly grin, he said, "Well, go on home then. I hear make-up-sex is the best there is."

"Okay I've had it," Kai murmured. "Let's go."

Ray grinned widely. He winked at Tyson and then followed Kai towards the gate. Halfway to the car Kai felt Ray's fingers entwine with his and smiled. He squeezed the other's hand and gave Ray a rare loving smile. He finally had him back, his Ray!

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and of course I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Take care, NoEarlyBird


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